P.E.I. Liberal MPs support Trudeau's pot stance

'Finally we have a political leader who's honest, who's open and who's human,' says Liberal MP

The three Liberal MPs on P.E.I. say they support their leader's stand on legalizing marijuana.
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

CBC News asked the 3 Liberal MPs whether they have ever smoked pot:

Malpeque MP Wayne Easter: "Yes I tried it once about probably 40, 45 years ago now and once what enough for me."

Charlottetown MP Sean Casey: "I did as a teenager, I tried it couple of times. I didn't like it, I was never a smoker and I hacked and coughed so much it didn't do anything for me, quite frankly."

Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay: "I have never smoked marijuana ... Well I guess down in Magel it was hard to find. I didn't know much about it back then."

Liberal MPs from P.E.I. are backing their leader's stance on the legalization of marijuana after, earlier this week, Justin Trudeau admitted to smoking pot while working as an MP.

Though, Trudeau downplayed his use of pot when speaking with reporters in Quebec City on Thursday.

"I have not taken other drugs, I have been in my past a very rare user of marijuana, I think five or six times in my life that I've taken a puff — it's not my thing. I think I'm in more trouble for admitting that I don't drink coffee on social media today.

"But the reality is that this is an example where we have a government that is completely offside from public opinion from even where the chiefs of police are from what we saw in their announcement yesterday," Trudeau told reporters in Montreal on Thursday.

Charlottetown Liberal MP Sean Casey said Trudeau had no choice but to answer the question, when he was asked.

"Finally we have a political leader who’s honest, who’s open and who’s human," he said.

"What was his choice? What was his option? His option was to not tell the truth. So he was asked a direct question, he gave a direct answer."

The other two Liberal MPs on P.E.I. -- Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay and Malpeque MP Wayne Easter -- also said they support their leader's stand on legalizing marijuana.

MacAulay was at the Dundas Plowing match on Friday, a popular rural fair, where values tend to be more traditional.

He has never been outspoken about legalizing marijuana, but he does back Trudeau's position.

"The problem is, if society wants it, society generally gets it. It looks like marijuana, obviously, as far as the Liberals are concerned will be legalized and that's just simply the way it is," said MacAulay.

Easter also supports legalizing pot.

"The current drug laws are not working and to try and implement a system in which you would have greater control and regulations over," he said.